Connected: How Trains, Genes, Pineapples, Piano Keys, and a Few Disasters Transformed Americans at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century

by Steven Cassedy

Between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, Americans underwent a dramatic transformation in having formerly lived as individuals or members of small communities, they now found themselves living in networks, which arose out of scientific and technological innovations. There were transportation and communication networks. There was the network of the globalized marketplace, which brought into the American home exotic goods previously affordable to only a few. There was the network of standard time, which bound together all but the most rural Americans. There was the public health movement, which joined individuals to their fellow citizens by making everyone responsible for the health of everyone else. There were social networks that joined individuals to their fellows at the municipal, state, national, and global levels. Previous histories of this era focus on alienation and dislocation that new technologies caused. This book shows that American individuals in this era were more connected to their fellow citizens than ever—but by bonds that were distinctly modern.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

339 pages, Hardcover

First published December 23, 2013

Reviews

[Jennifer Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so much, and at points I was captivated by the stories linking events, attitudes and cultural norms with today. The book is well researched and has a cohesive structure, it just didn’t hold my attention.

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

An overview of some of the drastic changes in American culture at the turn of the last century, with the overarching theme that it brought with it a new sense of interconnectedness and network. There were some interesting observations but the writing style was dry and the sense of narrative was poor, so I often lost track of the main theme.

[Hiawatha Bray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good overview of the vast social, scientific and economic transformations that swept through American society between 1880 and 1920.

[Shauna · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I did not finish this book, this is most likely not a fair rating. Although there were a few interesting parts, I found that overall the book did not hold my interest.

[Jim Blessing · Rating 1 out of 5]

I took a crack at reading this book (which has an interesting title and concept), however, got bogged down right away and lost interest.